The Maxx Crosby to Philadelphia rumors refuse to die. Las Vegas Raiders beat writer Hondo Carpenter posted a video on X claiming two teams are “nuclear hot” on Crosby, naming the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers as the frontrunners. Howie Roseman making a phone call to gauge the availability of one of the NFL’s premier edge rushers surprises nobody. This is what he does. But the trade proposals floating around online have ranged from intriguing to outright ridiculous, and we need to separate what’s realistic from what belongs in the fantasy football group chat.

Why one specific proposal falls short

Former Eagle Ike Reese threw out a trade framework that would send the 2028 first-round pick Philadelphia acquired in the A.J. Brown trade, along with edge rusher Nolan Smith, to Las Vegas in exchange for Crosby. I like the spirit of this idea. It’s creative, it’s aggressive, and it’s exactly the kind of swing-for-the-fences move that gets Eagles fans fired up. The problem is that the value is probably not enough.

Think about what the Raiders were reportedly about to receive for Crosby before the deal with Baltimore fell apart. In today’s NFL, two first-round picks are a massive haul, and even after a failed physical tanked that trade, Crosby’s value hasn’t cratered to the point where Nolan Smith and a single first gets it done. Look at the Myles Garrett trade as a reference point. Cleveland got Jared Verse in that deal. Smith doesn’t carry nearly that same weight in negotiations. If the Raiders would accept Reese’s proposal, sure, you make that call and get it done before they change their mind. But I don’t see that being realistic.

The Jalen Carter idea is absurd

Now, giving up a rising star is where things go completely off the rails. Over the last day or so, people have started floating the idea of trading defensive tackle Jalen Carter to the Raiders to acquire Crosby. Some of this stems from whispers that Philadelphia is hesitant to extend Carter, supposedly over concerns about his attitude or work ethic. And the logic apparently goes: if you’re not going to pay him, flip him for a proven game-wrecker.

I’m here to tell you right now, this makes absolute zero sense.

The entire reason you’d pursue Maxx Crosby is to put him next to Jalen Carter. That duo on the interior and the edge would be borderline unstoppable. Trading one to get the other defeats the purpose of the move entirely.

The financials don’t support it. Crosby has four years left on his deal but an out after the next two. He turns 30 next season, which means Philadelphia would eventually need to reset the market for him again in a year or two at an age when natural decline becomes a factor. Carter, meanwhile, will be 25 this upcoming season. He’s one of the best young defensive tackles in the NFL, and his upside on a long-term extension dwarfs whatever you’d get from two peak years of Crosby.

If you want to bring up injury concerns about Carter’s shoulder issues over the past two seasons, Crosby’s knee problems and other lingering injuries were severe enough to blow up a trade to Baltimore. The Ravens looked at his physical and walked away. So that argument cuts both ways, and probably cuts harder against the 29-year-old.

Howie won’t break his own rules here

We’ve been down this road before. The Eagles had interest in Myles Garrett, and what stopped that deal was the fact that they refused to include Jalen Carter. So if Roseman wouldn’t give up Carter for Garrett, why would he do it for Crosby? The logic doesn’t track.

I would love to see Crosby in midnight green. He is a game-changer, the kind of player who completely alters the complexion of a defense. But I don’t see a realistic path to it happening right now. Roseman isn’t going to surrender multiple first-round picks when he’s trying to invest in a young defensive core that already has elite pieces. Of course the Eagles will be in these conversations, because Howie Roseman is always in these conversations. That’s just how he operates. He makes the calls, does his due diligence, and tries to find the discount.

But Carter is Howie’s guy. He will likely extend him, keep building around him, and continue to get younger upfront. The Crosby dream is fun, but the smart money says Philadelphia stays the course.